What planet are they on?????
 

Read an amazing article at the weekend about our ever popular Prime Minister Tony Blair and his charming wife Cherie.
They have just splashed out 3 Million UK pounds on a new house,not all at once just like the rest of us mortals they have to get a mortgage,nothing strange in that happens every day,but theres a twist their mortgage is based on future earnings of Tony (reported to be estimated at 20 million in the first 5 years after he steps down)
Its been reported privately that the Blair's have complained for years that they have no money..Tony gets £178,992 per year Cherie earns around £250,000 per year as a lawyer they have lived expense free in Downing Street since 1997...Just how much is poor?????
Down payment on their house is £360,000.
I would have loved to ask the bank to calculate my mortgage on future earnings ,doubt i would have got far.
Anyway not that this rant is sour grapes. Get yer snout in the trough plenty for all (Only politicians invited)

No doubt Tony is comparing himself to Bush and his oilwells or Cheney and Halliburten. At any rate, no politician in any country goes into politics for anything other than wealth and power. Why should you be surpised to discover that British politicans are not any different than the rest of 'em?

Paul Wellstone didn't go into politics for the wealth and power of it all. Wish there were more like him. Such a shame.

The assumption of his future earnings is based on the post power earnings of previous PMs. There is an assumption that an outgoing PM will publish memoirs and attend as luncheon guest speakers at various functions.

Their income is high but not when compared to many of their profession in the capital ( I doubt legal types earn quite that much out here in the provinces *smiles*). I actually think as leader of the country Tony Blair's wage packet isnt that excessive. A house in London costs a great deal of money. For the amount they have paid they wont have got a very large house ( comparatively)

If the leader of the country was not paid a fairly large wage then we would be in the embarrassing position of having our leaders too poor to buy a house in the capital. The truth is Tony Blair could command more as a qc than he could as the Prime Minister and that's how I hope it will stay. We dont need our politicians to be doing the job solely for money. By the same token though we do not want our leaders to be struggling financially in their office as this would isolate all but the wealthy from a political career

Of course it's ludicrous for them to then complain that they are poor. They may have outgoings in excess of their earnings but that does not a poor man make.

He will make a mint of money on speaking tours, and it will be money earned overseas and thus not quite as taxable (if the tax laws on speaking are similar to the tax laws on music).

And whatever he's paid for that, it's worth it; he's one of the best speakers I've ever seen. I would pay to see him read the side of a toothpaste tube.

How about Tom "I can't put 2 kids through college on $175,000 a year" Ridge?